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It's very clear that, when Britain is outside the EU, there will be changes to the legal and regulatory framework applicable to, amongst other industries, its financial services sector. It is therefore obvious that UK banks must have representation in Frankfurt where the ECB is based. Not only is this not new, it's not even a tiny little threat to the UK financial sector, no matter what the media says.

When the Department of Justice and others settled criminal proceedings against Western Union there were two special features: one, liability was admitted and two "ensure that its agents around the world will adhere to U.S. Regulatory and [counter-money laundering] standards."

Is this doable while remaining profitable or does the settlement mean inevitable de-risking and closing in some markets?

It's bizarre. A press release received today headed "Attorney General Xavier Becerra Announces Settlement With Western Union For Wire Fraud Scams, Encourages Victims to Come Forward" refers to a case that the US Department of Justice announced settled on 19th January this year under the headline "Western Union Admits Anti-Money Laundering and Consumer Fraud Violations, Forfeits USD586 Million in Settlement with Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission." In the DoJ announcement it says that the California settlement is part of the overall deal. However, there is some interesting stuff...

We looked up the domain used for this spam-scam: samba-bank.co.uk. There's something not quite right about the available information but it's too limited to be sure that the domain has, either, been critically compromised or that it has been obtained by fraudsters. But it's not the first spam we've had that uses this same domain. Perhaps someone from Samba would like to tell us if the domain is, in fact, under their control. The spam-scam, itself, is interesting, too. It's the first time for a while we've seen a 1970s style Nigerian Scam letter and even the language is in the old style!

Andrew Peter Panayiotides, an employee, no longer with the company, of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in Australia has been banned from providing financial advice for "failing to act in the best interests of clients." The regulator, ASIC, has specifically drawn attention to the incentives structure. Are there also hidden messages about Know Your Customer?

For the goldfish amongst us and those who are too young to know and, especially, those who simply don't think history has anything to tell us, here is something to note: crises hit us every few years. The superficial causes are viewed as significant but in truth, most crises result from one thing: overstated balance sheets and the fact that those who have naively accepted them suddenly discover that not one, not two but many companies are not worth the paper they are written on. Literally.

Pay attention

We are back in the times of asset value restatement with several examples in the past month alone.

The UK government is to host a conference on FinTech as part of FinTech Week 2017. Chancellor Phillip Hammond is pleased to say that it's got Bank of England Governor Mark Carney and City Minister Simon Kirby to speak. If that sounds like a non-coup, just think about this: the FinTech bubble is already under strain. It may well have burst by the time the conference takes place in the middle of April.

Last month (see here) LEE Jae-Yong, officially number two at Samsung Electronics Co Ltd but, due to his father's infirmity, the de facto boss was questioned by police in connection with the alleged bribing of South Korean President PARK Guen-Hye. Prosecutors sought an order for an arrest warrant from a Seoul court but the court refused. However, that decision has been overturned on appeal and, in separate proceedings, the President has been suspended. Now LEE is held on remand in case he runs away or tampers with evidence.